By DAVID CRUMM
Editor of ReadTheSpirit magazine
Click on the cover to visit the book’s Amazon “pre-sale” page. If you prefer, the book also is available in both paperback and hardcover for pre-ordering on Barnes & Noble, too.
Feeling overwhelmed by the turbulent changes swirling all around our communities right now? Then, this spring, please read Dave Larsen’s Green Street in Black and White—a new book coming soon from Reformed Journal Books. It’s a novel that explores how such upheavals in the lives of parents in a modest Chicago neighborhood will forever affect the lives of an 11-year-old boy and his friends.
The novel is both a page-turning, coming-of-age drama—and a cautionary tale for all of us about how the conflicts in our communities nationwide are likely to be viewed by the millions of children watching us.
It’s a powerful new perspective on the long-term impact of living with such culture clashes.
And, it’s not even set in 2025!
In fact, novelist Dave Larsen takes us all the way back to his own childhood in the early 1960s on Chicago’s Green Street—and a summer of social upheaval when youthful mischief collided with the weight of adult fears. The novel is set in Englewood on Chicago’s south side, a community like countless others across America that were marked in that era by the lively interaction of families, despite ethnic divides and the realities of integration and white flight. The story follows Erik Pedersen and his friends, the Green Street Boys, as they confront prejudice, discover solidarity, and witness the cracks in their seemingly ordinary world. As families leave, neighbors and their congregations grapple with fear. As tensions rise, Erik is thrust into a moral conflict that challenges his understanding of right and wrong.
This novel also is ideal this year for group discussion and Larsen provides a free, downloadable discussion guide to help spark spirited conversation. For more information about Green Street in Black and White, see https://reformedjournal.com/all-books/.
To preorder a copy of this gripping novel, visit Amazon right now.
(Note about pre-ordering: This book’s official launch date is April 29, so Amazon’s listing of the book is just beginning to emerge on the Amazon website. Nevertheless, you already can click to pre-order a paperback—or wait to see the hardcover and Kindle versions come up for sale on Amazon later. If you prefer to shop via Barnes & Noble, Dave’s book already is listed at bn.com in both paperback and hardcover. Before its April 29 launch, the book also will be listed online by all retailers of quality books, including Walmart.com.)